On Casual Media Theft

A father who takes his child to a circus knows that the child will point excitedly when they see an ice cream stand. The father who loves his child buys the child ice cream so the child is happy. Then, moments after the child will see a cotton candy stand and again point excitedly to get cotten candy. The father who says no makes his child unhappy with him but he knows better than the child does — too much sugar is is not good for the child even though the child doesn’t realize it.

So much are we like the child in this story and the father is like our G-d. And so much like this story is how we can tackle a problem such as casual media theft in our culture. Americans are obsessed with media, it is our candy and our ice cream. We gobble it up and we’re seemingly always hungry for more. We live on it like a diet plan and when we can’t afford it any more we so easily resort to stealing it. G-d’s plan for us is to limit how much money that most of us have so that we don’t over indulge ourselves. If you don’t believe this, consider the fact that over 90% of the people in this world are by US standards poor. G-d has this in his plans — protect us from indulging by limiting what it is we can afford.

A rebellious child runs away from his father and goes off and takes the cotton candy that the father did not get for him. The child eats cotton candy, hot dogs, popcorn, and soda and then later when he returns to his father he is sick and malnourished.

In summary, this is really what casual media theft is. Its simply saying ‘no’ to G-d, and then going off and having as much as we possibly can without paying for it. This has serious consequences. First, we overconsume media and escapism becomes a way of life. It encourages sloth. Secondly, we lose respect for people’s properties and over time desensitize ourselves to what really matters — what G-d wants for us.

If you don’t believe me then take it from someone who feels empty the more media I consume and less time I spend with other people and with Christ. Take it from the thousands of people who play massive multiplayer online role playing games like Star Wars Galaxies that have ruined friendships, families and marriages. Because its so much easier to not live your life than to live it and listen to your G-d because he knows what is best for you far more than you ever could.

A loving father is one that forgives. The loving father might chide the child and punish him for his acts but a child that is sorry will regain his father’s love ten-fold.

In essense G-d wants us to love Him and follow Him. But He knows we fail and if you repent, He’s going to love you even more because He knows you’re going to make an attempt to follow Him even more.

Following Christ and following Him can sometimes be hard, and life is. Look at all the suffering in the world and anyone can attest to it, pain is part of life as is disappointment. But let’s be clear, G-d’s plan for each of us is better for us than anything we can think of. So we simply must place our trust in Him and hope and love with all faith that in the end when the world ends, this will be rewarded.